Michael Scotto
\n\u00a0|\u00a0 USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n
After leading the NBA in triple-doubles for the first time, rebounds in back-to-back seasons, and earning his second straight All-NBA selection, Sacramento Kings<\/a> star Domantas Sabonis is taking on a new role.<\/p>\n Sabonis spoke with HoopsHype to discuss his role in the Netflix docuseries Starting 5, as he stars alongside LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, Anthony Edwards, and Jayson Tatum. Plus, why he thinks the addition of DeMar DeRozan will elevate the Kings to new heights, where the trio with DeRozan, De\u2019Aaron Fox, and himself ranks, the possibility of retiring as a King, and much more.<\/p>\n How did being a part of Starting 5 come about?<\/p>\n Domantas Sabonis: It was so quick. It was at the end of summer. It was only a couple of guys, and I got it from my agent. Once I said yes and signed the next day, there were cameras around 24\/7 following me. I\u2019d wake up, and there was a camera in my face. I\u2019m trying to go to the bathroom, and they\u2019re following me.<\/p>\n What made you want to be a part of Starting 5 and let people into your life behind the scenes?<\/p>\n DS: I\u2019m definitely more of a private guy with a family and everything, but Netflix has been huge having an opportunity like that and seeing the list of players that was starting to gain on Starting 5. It\u2019s an honor being on that list and being able to shed light on Sacramento and the Kings with everything we\u2019ve done since the trade to kind of change an organization around and let people know a bit more about me.<\/p>\n What can people expect to learn about you?<\/p>\n DS: People who don\u2019t know me on the court, I\u2019m a typical bruiser. It\u2019s very intense out there getting into it with players and refs. I\u2019m a nice, normal guy who wants to hang out with his family and wife. You get a behind-the-scenes look at that with me and every single player and not just what you see on social media. I think it\u2019s going to be really interesting.<\/p>\n Did you change anything for the cameras?<\/p>\n DS: I don\u2019t know how the other players did it, but I have two kids at home, and you can\u2019t really change. You\u2019re in dad mode. Whatever happens, happens. You can\u2019t tell your kids, who are one and two years old, that the cameras are on (laughs). It doesn\u2019t really work that way. Whatever the viewers see will be all-natural and real.<\/p>\n DeMar DeRozan was at the Starting 5 event. What does his addition mean for the Kings?<\/p>\n DS: I think it\u2019s huge. We haven\u2019t had a veteran who has a Hall of Fame career like him and his IQ. I spent a couple of weeks with him in Los Angeles working out, and I learned so much from that little time with him. The best thing \u2013 apart from what everyone knows he brings \u2013 off the court and inside the locker room, he\u2019s going to bring a different mentality to the group. He\u2019s here not to mess around. He\u2019s here for the right reason. He wants to win. For us, I feel like last year, our biggest issue was locking in for all the games where you can tell the good teams against the lower seeded teams. It ended up putting us in a tough position. I feel like he\u2019s going to bring that veteran presence that we need.<\/p>\n Where does the trio of you, De\u2019Aaron Fox, and DeMar DeRozan rank in the league?<\/p>\n DS: Everyone knows what Fox can do. He\u2019s been the Clutch Player of the Year. Whenever we need a bucket, he has it. We all know about DeMar. He\u2019s been in the league a long time and has a lot of respect. I think it\u2019s tough. Teams are going to have to put the best defender on one of those two guys, and then the other one will be loose. It\u2019s going to put us in a good area. For all those rankings, let\u2019s see how the season plays out. We\u2019ll be ready to come in and go after it.<\/p>\n What are fair expectations for the Kings now?<\/p>\n DS: The Kings have high expectations. We had them last year after our first year. Now, with DeMar, they\u2019re going to expect us to go far. I\u2019m excited to get rolling and start training camp. You could already feel the buzz around the facility.<\/p>\n You\u2019ve been a King for over two seasons now in Sacramento. What\u2019s it been like for you and your family there?<\/p>\n DS: I\u2019ve loved Sacramento from the moment I got here. Everyone welcomed me with open arms. They made this trade so easy. Fox let me be me from the day I got here. I didn\u2019t have to adjust my role. That\u2019s been awesome. The fans, when you come in, every game is sold out. You\u2019ll see it in the show. They\u2019re there. If we have a back-to-back and play the same team the next game, it\u2019s still sold out. As a player and competitor, it makes it so much more fun to be here. It\u2019s warm here. We have palm trees. You can be in the pool. I\u2019ve loved my time here. The Indy phase seems like such a long time ago. I know I\u2019ve only been here for two full seasons, but it feels like a lot longer than it has.<\/p>\n Can you see yourself retiring in Sacramento?<\/p>\n DS: Yeah, of course. They\u2019ve only been nice. It\u2019s been amazing. The fans have been awesome. As a player, you always want to build a legacy somewhere, and you can\u2019t do it if you\u2019re not in one place and doing great things for that team. Obviously, it depends on my performance and the team\u2019s performance, but that definitely would really be a cool thing.<\/p>\n When you didn\u2019t make the All-Star team last year along with De\u2019Aaron Fox, did you guys feel snubbed, and is it motivating going into this new season with the team?<\/p>\n DS: We didn\u2019t actually talk about it. We\u2019re two guys that are really focused on the team. Everyone was saying we were snubbed. If anything, that shows that people think we deserved it, and it shows disrespect from other people (laughs). It just made us come out and play harder and stronger. I already don\u2019t need more motivation. I\u2019m always ready to go every game.<\/p>\n What went through your mind when you were able to keep Malik Monk, and what does it mean for the team?<\/p>\n DS: Thank God that we kept him. He\u2019s a big piece of how we play, and his energy and vibes off the court. He\u2019s a great locker room guy. He keeps us always locked in and happy. That\u2019s something you can\u2019t replace with a lot of players in the league. He brings a swagger and is always ready to go. For us off the bench last year, he had a burst coming in and helping the second unit. To maintain that with another year of experience under his belt and a new contract it usually gives you more confidence. I\u2019m expecting big things from him.<\/p>\n What are you expecting from De\u2019Aaron Fox this season, and how vital has he been to the overall reshaping of the Kings?<\/p>\n DS: It\u2019s big. I feel like all of us, the three or four of the core, have to keep taking steps. At the end of the day, it\u2019s on how well we perform and help the team. He\u2019s been putting in the work all summer, and he\u2019s taken a step every year I\u2019ve gotten here. For us, as it was before and even more now that we\u2019ve got DeMar, it\u2019s about winning. We know there are going to be sacrifices for everyone. We really don\u2019t care. We want to get to the end of the season, make sure we\u2019re in the playoffs, and then have that same mentality going forward.<\/p>\n What are you expecting from Keegan Murray this year?<\/p>\n DS: To gain more confidence and trust in himself. We\u2019re always here for him. I\u2019m always trying to get him easy looks, get him going, and for him to come out and be him. With DeMar, hopefully, there will be more people out there trying to get him open looks. I think he\u2019s going to have easier looks, which will be good for us.<\/p>\n You can follow Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto<\/a>) on X, formerly known as Twitter.\u00a0<\/p>\n